Lamar Smith: “I understand the underlying point of the Member's amendment, but other legislation and patent reform in particular have…”

“I understand the underlying point of the Member's amendment, but other legislation and patent reform in particular have taught us that even small changes can have unintended consequences unless they have been vetted and have gone through the regular committee process. The problem is in the details. This amendment is drafted as a study. I agree with the first part of the amendment but not the second because its objectives are written very much like a piece of legislation. It seeks to create support for a new program whereby taxpayer funds would be used to pay patent fees in foreign countries. I am strongly committed to helping our small businesses and independent inventors secure their rights and have a level playing field abroad, but I can't support a result that could create a new entitlement program, a new bureaucracy and the transferring of taxpayer dollars directly to the treasuries of foreign governments. We should not use taxpayer funds to pay patent filing fees to foreign governments. I do agree with the first part of this study, and am interested to see how the PTO, in coordination with other agencies, can figure out ways to help small businesses with international patent protection. I hope that this will be the focus of the study. The results of this study will show that small business outreach and educational and technical assistance programs are the most effective tools for small business and independent inventors.…”